Dunsan-dong pork belly for two with chadol doenjang stew: Imdaejang

Imdaejang Daejeon Dunsan Branch

A pork belly lover since elementary school 🐷 I went to eat meat in Dunsan-dong, Daejeon. This time I went to Imdaejang Dunsan Branch. At most BBQ places, either the staff grills it for you or you grill it yourself, but here they actually grill the meat and serve it already done, which surprised me!! 😳 I visited on a weekend evening and it was nearly full — I got lucky and grabbed the very last table. Here's my honest review -

Imdaejang Daejeon Dunsan Branch: hours, address and parking

• 🕰️ Hours: Daily 16:00–24:20 / ✔️ Fri–Sat extended to 01:00 the next day
• 📍 Address: 32-17 Dunsan-ro, 1st floor, Seo-gu, Daejeon
• 🅿️ Parking: On-site parking available (2 hours free)
• 🥃 Corkage: Not allowed

Outside Imdaejang: the signboard promises meat grilled for you

📍 Imdaejang sits in the main commercial district of Dunsan-dong. It was a weekend evening so there were quite a lot of customers.

The signboard at the entrance already emphasized that this is a 'we grill it for you' BBQ place 👏 It's such a welcome system for people who love meat but aren't great at grilling, or find it a hassle >.< Especially for group dinners or gatherings with several people, it's great that no one has to be stuck manning the grill the whole time!!!

Inside Imdaejang: how much smoke and grease smell?

The interior was cleaner and more pleasant than I expected 🤩 Since you're not grilling the meat yourself at the table, there wasn't much smoke or grease smell, which I liked.

None of that stuffy, smoke-filled feeling typical of BBQ places, so it was comfortable to eat! 🚻 The restroom is inside the restaurant.

What we ordered: pork belly for two and chadol doenjang stew

I didn't overthink the menu and just went with the signature pork belly. Pork belly (2 servings) + chadol doenjang stew (1)

They noted that the meat is grilled to order in the kitchen right after ordering, taking about 15 minutes. ✔️ They're also running a review event, so make sure to grab the free pork skin or stew benefit 🤝

The basic side dishes all came out at once: cold noodle broth, myeongi namul (wild garlic leaves), pickled garlic, ssamjang, salt, soybean powder. Taking a sip of the cold noodle broth between bites of meat cleaned my palate nicely!

Since we're in Daejeon, you can't skip the regional soju 🍻 Ordered a bottle of Sunyang Rindo -!!

What comes on the 14-day aged pork belly platter

Finally, my beloved pork belly appears 🍖 It's plated with minari, enoki mushrooms, bean sprouts and kimchi all grilled together on one platter, so it looked great even before tasting it.

And the important part — there's no need to grill it since it's already fully cooked, so you can just dig in … ♥

It looks even more generous on video 🤭 The platter is packed with mushrooms, minari, kimchi and bean sprouts alongside the meat!

Since the whole platter comes out already grilled, conversation doesn't get interrupted by grilling duty even with several people eating >.< I thought it would work really well for group dinners or gatherings.

Minari (water dropwort) comes included as a basic item too 🌿 It definitely adds a fresh touch compared to eating the pork alone, thanks to its distinct aroma!

With bean sprouts and kimchi grilled together, they paired really well with the pork belly. Meat + grilled kimchi is an unbeatable combo … ♥

The meat was thick and well-aged, so unlike plain unaged pork belly it had great savory depth — the meat itself was just delicious!!

I put a piece of meat on lettuce and wrapped it up properly 🥬 Switching between eating it plain and wrapped kept it from getting boring.

How to eat the pork belly: myeongi namul, salt and wasabi

And here are my two favorite combos. 1. Pork belly + myeongi namul (wild garlic leaves) 2. Pork belly + salt + wasabi. ✔️ Wasabi isn't set on the table by default but they'll bring it if you ask, so make sure to request it!

Adding a little wasabi on top of the pork belly cuts the richness and makes the meat taste cleaner — I really love it >.<

What does the chadol doenjang stew taste like?

The chadol doenjang stew we ordered arrives! They said it's not just plain doenjang stew but a blend of doenjang and cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste).

The savory doenjang flavor with an extra layer from the cheonggukjang made it perfect for eating with rice after the meat~

The contents were pretty generous too. Plenty of chadol (beef brisket) in there ♥ Having the stew alongside the pork belly made the meal feel complete.

Final verdict: expect a wait on weekend evenings

Overall, I think the biggest strength of Imdaejang Dunsan Branch is that they serve the meat already grilled!!! There are plenty of BBQ places where you grill it yourself, but here everything comes out fully grilled, so it's convenient and your clothes don't end up smelling as much. On a weekend evening it was nearly full and we barely got the last table, so I'd recommend factoring in a wait if you visit on the weekend! ✔️ The dessert ice cream is free too, so make sure to grab it on your way out 🍦